18 Years and More
by PenelopeJess
Summary: A oneshot fic on the life of Addison and Derek Shepherd. into the future


"Derek!" she cried out. This time, it wasn't out of pleasure, it wasn't out of satisfaction. It hasn't been for 9 whole months, ever since they found out that she was pregnant. Her fingers gripped around his tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut, her body propped up by his behind her as she continued to push.

"Shh...Addie. I'm here." he cooed calmly, although by this moment, he could no longer feel his fingers. She released his hand and leaned onto his body, already exhausted.

"I don't wanna do this anymore." she moaned, shaking her head against his chest. He wiped the hair off her face and tilted her chin up to face him.

"You can do this, Addie." he encouraged. "I'll be here." he promised. But Addison shook her head.

"I don't wanna do this, DereK! I never thought that it would be _this_ hard." she whined. "Can you take over?"

"Pushing?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. And when Addison nodded, their gynaecologist gave out a laugh.

"I'm afraid that would be impossible, Mrs. Shepherd." she said. And at that addressment, both Derek and Addison turned to her with a raised eyebrow each.  
"_Mrs._ Shepherd?" Addison asked, only causing her husband to laugh. "It's _Dr._ Shepherd. Mrs. Shepherd is your mother. I don't want to sound like your mother." she groaned.

"Alright, _Dr._ Shepherd. A few more pushes and the first one is out." she announced.

_First one. God. Suddenly, I wish they were in a breech position and I'd just be sent in for a c-section already._ she grumbled.

"Ready?"

Addison nodded, finding her way to Derek's hand again for the supporting grip.

---------------------------------------

"Congratulations Doctors Shepherd. Your babies are very healthy." Dr. Spencer, their gynaecologist announced, handling the babies to the nurses standing by as they were brought away for dressings. Addison breathed in and out as slowly as possible as she leaned against her husband's chest, his hand stroking her hair lovingly.

"They're healthy, Addie. You did great." he whispered into her hair. She smiled weakly, nodding.

"Thank you, Dr. Spencer."

---------------------------------------

With one baby in her arms and another in Derek's, the nurse smiled lovingly at the couple while she checked Addison's vitals one last time before confirming her discharge.

"Have you thought of their names yet?" she couldn't help but ask. The Shepherds look up to each other and exchange a knowing glance before turning to the nurse.

"Tiffany Audrey Shepherd." she announce, holding up the baby girl in her hands. Derek grinned, rocking the baby as he played around with his tiny fingers.

"Terence Caleb Shepherd." he said.

The nurse smiled, peeking over at the two.

"They're beautiful." she commented, receiving a smile from both parents. "She's got your eyes." she pointed out to Addison.

"Yea, she does. And he's got his." she said, laughing lightly. The nurse nodded, placing the chart back at the end of the bed.

"You'll be wonderful parents. I can feel it."

---------------------------------------

**-FIRST YEAR-**

Addison sat in the nursery, a baby in one arm, the front buttons of her shirt completely undid. She leaned back against the rocking chair and rocked herself back and forth gently, her eyes turning to the window, looking out to the clear blue sky. Derek stood by the doorway of the nursery, his arms folded in front of his chest as he smiled at the peaceful sight of his wife and his two children. He had taken the maternity leave along with Addison, only his was renamed 'paternity' leave by himself.

Understanding the hormones after childbirth, Derek wanted to be with his wife as much as he can to keep her calm, to support her. Their marriage had been on shaky grounds, but they have gotten past that. But it still didn't give the hormones-raging wife a reason not to believe that Derek wouldn't go back to his absent ways back in New York. Derek wouldn't want to risk it again. Besides, making 2 million dollars a year for that long, they could afford to take a few months off, even an entire year.

Feeling his presence around, Addison tilted her head curiously towards the doorway, smiling in surprise to find him standing there.

"Hey. What are you doing there?" she asked, crossing her legs over one another as she continued to rock herself gently. He laughed, pushing himself off the door frame and headed into the nursery.

"Wondering how you can still manage to look so Manhattan-like while breastfeeding." he teased, leaning down to give her a peck on her forehead.

"You think this is funny, don't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, but Derek shook his head defensively, a smile still on his face. "I feel like they're sucking me dry." she complained jokingly, gazing down at the two babies in her hands. Derek reached out and brush a hand gently over the other side of the baby boy's face, causing him to dislatch himself away from the source of food, turning towards the direction of the stroking.

"This one's done, eh?" she asked, but Derek shook his head. "I distracted him." he laughed. "You need anything?"

She shook her head.

"Alright, I'll be downstairs making dinner." he said, then leaned forward to kiss her softly on the lips. "Your favourite."

Addison smiled. "I can't wait."

---------------------------------------

**-SECOND YEAR- **

Tiffany stood up unsteadily by herself, looking back and forth from both her parents. Derek clapped his arms twice and nodded at the baby, wide-eyed while Addison patted on the carpetted floor gently.

"Come here, Tiffy." she cooed. Derek stopped, raising an eyebrow at his wife.  
"Tiffy?" he repeated. She shot him a glance.  
"Well you call me Addie, I don't see why she can't be 'Tiffy'." she argued. Then Tiffany took a step forward towards her mother, then another tiny one before tumbling down her hands and knees again, guggling as she made her way into Addison's lap.

"That's unfair." Derek complained with a playful pout, sticking his tongue out at a laughing Addison as she picked the baby up and craddled her to her chest.  
"You're just jealous." she countered, then gesturing her head towards their son, still in the sitting position, looking curiously from Addison to Derek.

"C'mon Terry, it's your turn." Derek cooed, motioning for his son to stand up. Terence blinked, then turned to Addison, causing her to let out a good natured laugh.

"He doesn't like the name, Derry."  
"You think this is funny."  
"You're just jealous that Tiffany crawled to me, and that their first words were 'Ma' and not 'Pa'." she said, a cocky smile spread across her face.

"Well Tiffany said 'Der' first. That's short form for my name." he argued.  
"Oh since when?" Addison laughed, enjoying the teasing at Derek. "And that's not even a proper word. She was guggling. Besides, it sounded more like 'Duh'."

Learning from his sister, Terence pushed himself off the floor with his arms and then straightened his legs, wobbling slightly as he struggled to stand up straight. Addison gasped at the progress. She hadn't expect both her children to be able to stand up by themselves on the very same day. But children do learn through imitation so it is possible that Terence had simply mimicked Tiffany's earlier actions to achieve his goal. Nevertheless, he stood up--by himself.

"Good job, Terence!" Addison exclaimed, clapping her hands together lightly. Terence giggled, then started toddling towards his mother quickly. But at the third step, he stumbled and fell. Derek dived in just in time, grabbing him up before the boy could fall flat on the carpetted floor.

"Learn to share, Addie." Derek scoffed, but Addison only laughed.  
"It's not my fault that they like me better."  
"It's your hair. They're attracted to brighter objects. Your hair's red, mine's not." he pointed out.  
"You're just making excuses." she said, shaking her head, then pulling Tiffany off her shoulder and grinned at her. "Daddy's jealous  
of Mommy."

---------------------------------------

**-THIRD YEAR-**

The first full year after the birth of the twins, Derek and Addison had both taken off from their work, only going in alternately during the second year, which still gives them plenty of time to spend with their children, especially on holidays. By the third year, it was inevitable that the both of them, as world class surgeons, have to return to their hectic work schedule--not without a condition. That while the both of them had to be at work, either Isobel Stevens or Miranda Bailey had to be there to babysit their children. And if worse comes to worse, Adele would be called in to help.

Richard had agreed reluctantly, knowing that this was the only way for the Shepherds to get to work. So specially for them, the both of them will only be called in when needed to--Derek for neurological cases that only he knows how to perform, Addison when major complications during childbirth are involved, or when patients had specifically asked for them. Derek wasn't worried, and neither was Addison. Once upon a time, it was their work that had caused their communication to breakdown, and the marriage to fall apart. But this time, both of them knew that their children and family had became their newest obsession,  
their newest objects of love, and not even work is going to keep them away.

"Who's coming this year?" Addison asked, rocking the sleeping boy in her arms as Tiffany let out a tiny yelp as the stack of blocks in front of her toppled over. Derek looked up from the girl to his wife.  
"our parents." he reminded her. Their entire family had came over to visit them as soon as the twins were borned, taking turns on showering their love over the new additions to the family. Over the two years of holidays, their family had taken turns to visit them in Seattle. They have decided not to go back to New York for the time being and bought a house in Seattle to settle down. What happens after the two children grew a little older was not decided. This Christmas, their parents are coming to visit. Derek's sisters came over during Thanksgiving, all helping to prepare the dinner and watch the two children at the same time. It was probably  
the first time Tiffany and Terence could actually recognised their cousins' faces.  
Completely sure that Terence had fallen asleep, Addison placed him back into the crib gently, tucking the small blanket around his body before planting a kiss down on his forehead.

"When do you want to go shopping for the gifts?" Addison asked, running a hand through her hair as she settled down beside her husband, picking up a soft ball and handling it to their daughter.

"Tomorrow, if neither of us get called in." he suggested. "And the kids get to come along."

---------------------------------------

**-FOURTH YEAR- **

"No, Richard. I'm not coming in today." Derek insisted, ignoring the soft tug at the hem of his shirt. "I'm not leaving my sick wife with two bouncing kids to take care of."

"Derek, go. I'm fine." Addison insisted, attempting to crawl out of bed when a wail rang through the house. Derek made his way around the bed and pushed her back down, placing a finger gently on her lips as she tried to protest.

"No, sending anyone over isn't going to make me go either. Tell the patients they'll have to get the second best's consults until I'm back for work." he said stubbornly.

"Mommy!" It was Terence's voice that wailed. Then, the four year old boy paddled into his parents room, teared stained.

"Look, Richard. I've got to go." Derek said, hanging up the phone before his mentor can say another word. Terence crawled into bed and buried his head into Addison's shoulders as she stroke his back. The next moment, Tiffany came in, looking wide-eyed and innocent.  
"I didn't do anything!" she blurted out defensively even before Addison could even start to ask what happened. Derek reached out, pulling Terence away from his mother and carried him in his arms.  
"Alright, let's go back to the playroom and let Mommy rest, then you can tell Daddy what happened." he said, starting to lead the two children out of the room. Addison rolled her eyes and pulled off the covers. Derek sighed, placing Terence down on the floor.

"Addie, I'm not about to risk you fainting from exhaustion again so I'm going to say this one last time. Stay. In. Bed." he demanded, his gaze firm and not wavering. Knowing that he was not going to back down without a fight, Addison slumped back down onto the bed.

"You're evil." she muttered. "You're keeping me away from our children. It's not right." she complained. But Derek only lean down to give her a kiss on her forehead, pulling the covers back over her body.

"Think of it as keeping our children from getting sick. You can thank me later."

---------------------------------------

**-FIFTH YEAR-**

"Waffles!" Tiffany argued.  
"No! I want pancakes!" Terence yelled, banging a fist on the table. Addison spun around from the fridge and placed a hand on her hips, her eyes boring into her son's. Terence's shoulder slumped, his gaze shifting to his feet as he kicked his dangling legs back and forth uncomfortably.

"Terence..." Derek started, flipping the pancakes in the pan.  
"I'm sorry, Mommy." Terence apologised softly. "I wouldn't do it again."  
At that, Tiffany stuck out her tongue triumphantly.  
"I saw that, Tiff." Addison warned, pulling out the carton of orange juice from the fridge.  
"Sorry." Tiffany muttered half-sincerely.

Derek turned off the fire on the stove and slided the pancakes down on to a large plate before placing it in the centre of the table.

"Yay!" Terence exclaimed, causing his five-year-old twin to roll her eyes. He reached out, attempting to grab one to his plate when Derek stopped him, pulling his tiny hand back.  
"It's hot." he said, only causing Tiffany to giggle.

"Well _I_ knew that." the small redhead boosted. Addison grabbed the honey from the top of the cabinet and a clean spoon while Derek placed two pancakes it onto each plate, then moving to the coffee pot as it hummed. When twice she failed to twist open the cap of the honey bottle, Derek reached out and took it from her hands, opening it with a single twist before handing it back.  
"Thanks." she said as he reached out two glasses and two mugs, rinsing them under the tap water before filling it up with their morning drinks.

Addison dug the spoon into the honey bottle and then allow it to drip in circles on their pancakes, and when Terence demanded for more, she gave him her infamous glare once again, causing the boy to accept what he was given.  
Closing the cap back, Addison tossed the spoon into the basin and washed her hands, taking a step into the bathroom to grab a comb and two hair bands, then bending down behind her daughter to start combing her hair into two braids.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Tiffany mumbled between her bites as Addison worked her fingers quickly around her daughter's red hair.  
"Sorry." she apologise, then tied the hairband around the end of the braid, leaning forward to give her daughter a kiss on her forehead.

After breakfast, Derek and Addison were already dressed for work. This time, Addison waited in the car while Derek led his two children to the kindergarten, one in each hand. Kneeling down to kiss each of them goodbye before returning to the car. As Derek slumped down in the passenger seat next to his wife, Addison turned to him with a grin.

"Regrets?" she asked, but he only shook his head as he fasten the seat belt.

"Never."

---------------------------------------  
**  
-SIXTH YEAR-**

"Derek, are you sure?" Addison asked, the obvious concern in her tone. Derek nodded his head, brushing the hair into place as he did so. Tiffany and Terence were chasing each other around the living room couch excitedly as Addison leaned against the wall eyeing her husband.

"It's their first day of school, their first day in first grade. I'm not going to miss it, Addie." he said, leaning down to kiss her on her cheek. She frowned, not being that she did not appreciate the gesture. She reached up, pressing a hand against the side of his neck. It was warm.

"You're having a fever, Derek." she reminded him.  
"They're our children." he countered, unbuttoning the front two buttons of his blue, shortsleeved shirt.  
"If you're going to just collapse on me in the middle of the street, I can't handle bringing you back alone."  
"I wouldn't." he smiled. "I'm not feeling that horrible anyway. I promise."

Sighing, she nodded. "Alright, you're calling in sick today. I'm going to have Adele come over and look after you, then pick up the kids." Before Derek could say anything, Tiffany and Terence popped their heads through the doorway of their parents' room.

"Mommy, Daddy! Hurry!" Tiffany urged the both of them.  
"We're gonna be late for school!" Terence yelled.

At their voices, Addison and Derek shared a laugh before emerging out from the bathroom.

"Alright. C'mon, let's go!"

-----

"Mommy, I wanna be just like that!" Tiffany whispered to her mother while they watched the dance performance put up by the ballerinas. She smiled, stroking the side of her hair.  
"You can be just like her if you want to." she encouraged. On her other side, Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat, causing her to shoot yet another worried glance at him. He only turned around, giving her a smile of reassurance.

After the orientation, Addison and Derek left their two children to continue with the first few lessons in the day, knowing very well that they can handle it by themselves. She pulled over by the driveway of their house and helped Derek in. As soon as they entered, Derek slumped down on the couch, laying a hand on his forehead and shut his eyes.

"I told you not to go." Addison commented, pulling open the fridge and took out the ice pack. Grabbing a towel from the bathroom, she filled a basin with ice and water, then soaked the cloth in it. She folded it into a long, rectangle piece and made her way to her husband, lifting his head up and sliding the cold cloth around his neck. He shivered at the contact. Then pulling his hand off, she  
laid the icepack on his forehead.

"Addie." he mumbled, pulling at her hand as she started away. She looked down to him, allowing him to pull her close.  
"I love you." he said through closed eyes. She smiled, giving him a soft kiss on his cheeks.  
"I love you too." she whispered into his ear. "Now I'm going to grab you a blanket and give Adele a call." she said, standing up as he released her arm with a smile.

---------------------------------------

**-SEVENTH YEAR-**

"C'mon, hurry!" Tiffany yelled by the doorway while Terence tossed the remaining things into the boot of their family-sized car. Derek had his arm around Addison's waist as they descended down the stairs. He was wearing a flowery shirt with the front three buttons undone, and a pair of faded jeans. On Addison was a yellow and peach sundress, decorated with leaves of different sizes, a  
seashell necklace around her neck. They had booked a vacation spot at Hawaii over the summer holidays.

"Alright, you guys got everything you need?" Derek asked. Tiffany turned towards the car in the driveway, smiling as Terence gave her a thumbs up.

"Yep!" she confirmed, grinning as her parents slipped on their shoes. By the time the both of them made their way to the car, they had realised that the bags they placed around it were missing.

"Did you bring our bags down, Derek?"  
"Yea, I told them to look after it while I go get you down." he explained. Then, giggling, Tiffany and Terence flipped open the cover of the car's boot.

"TADA!" they announced, gesturing to the luggages already stacked in, causing both parents to stare at them in disbelief. Their face fell.  
"You don't like it?" Terence asked.  
"No, no. We love it." Addison said immediately. "We just didn't think... Thank you." she said, swooping down to give each child a kiss on their cheeks.

And while Addison and Derek slided into the front seats of the car, Tiffany and Terence crawled into the middle seats and slapped each other a high-five.

-----

Addison lay facedown on the mat as Derek rubbed the lotion all over her back. Their children were not far away, dancing around the sandcastle they've built.

"How they carried all that luggage into the boot of the car, I still have no idea." Addison commented, smiling as their children waved to them.  
"Well, they're _our_ children. They sure have their ways." Derek laughed, leaning down to give her a soft kiss on her lips, causing their children to burst into a series of 'ews' among their giggles.

---------------------------------------

**-EIGHTH YEAR-**

"Xena!"  
"X-Men!"  
"Xena!"  
"X-Men!"  
"Mom!"  
"Dad!"

Addison and Derek turned to each other with a sigh. It was a weekend and they have given the both of them a choice to choose a movie to watch that evening. Derek shut the medical journal in his hands and lay it by the bedside stand, then crawled over to Addison and took off her specs and lay it on the table, dragging her off the chair and into bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, but Derek placed a finger on her lips, silencing her as he drew the covers over them.  
"We'll pretend that we're asleep. They've to then learn how to solve their problems themselves."  
She turned around in bed to face him, frowning at his suggestion.  
"But are you sure--"  
"Nothing will happen, Addie. Our children wouldn't play with the stove, they wouldn't leap out of windows thinking they're super heros." he assured her, then wrap his arm around her waist and pull her in. She snuggled against his chest, closing her eyes while he closed his.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps increased as they stopped outside their room. "Mom!" Tiffany whined, pouncing onto the bed with a sulk.  
Addison cracked open an eye and raised an eyebrow at Derek, questioning him for the next move. He sighed, pulling the covers away and crawled out, leading Tiffany out of the room before Terence can come running in. Outside their room, Derek looked from one child to another, with his arms folded in front of his chest.

"What is going on?"  
"He wouldn't give in!" Tiffany complained, mimicking her father's actions.  
"Xena's not a movie for boys!" Terence yelled back. Derek raised an eyebrow at the both of them.  
"You do know that Mom's resting inside, right?"  
"Sorry." They mumbled in unison, lowering their voice at once.  
"I can't help you here. The both of you will have to agree on one movie to watch, or we wouldn't be going at all." Derek decided.

Standing there for a stubborn moment, Tiffany released a breathe unwillingly shot a glance to Terence, who still has his arms folded.  
"Fine. We'll watch X-men." she gave in. A smile spread across Derek's face at the sight of his daughter giving in. It reminded him of how Addison would give in to him when he was as stubborn as his son. When Tiffany and Terence were younger, it was harder to tell them apart, but now, it was obvious that Tiffany was a younger image of Addison and Terence of Derek. No one would believed that the both of them are twins.

At the news, Terence spun around with a grin on his face, then threw his arms around his sister and planted a kiss on her cheeks, causing Tiffany to roll her eyes. Derek shook his head, leaving Terence to ramble on as he promised to buy Tiffany candies from his savings and whatnots. Closing the door to their bedroom behind him, Derek slided back into bed, greeted by a kiss from his wife.

"What happened?" she asked, curious to be now hearing the happy laughter of Terence and Tiffany in comparison to the arguments earlier.  
"Let's just say my method worked." he gloated, the pulled her closer to him for another kiss.

---------------------------------------

**-NINTH YEAR- **

This Christmas was different from the other Christmas'. No visits from extended families, no presents under the Christmas tree, no homecook dinner. And instead of protesting it like other children would because of a change in routine, Tiffany and Terence were actually excited for this new way of celebrating Christmas.  
Addison and Derek had decided to spend Christmas away from home, having breakfast at home, then going for a refreshing jog at the park. After which they had returned home for a shower and headed out to the mall for lunch and shopping.

"Alright, the both of you have a budget of $40 together, and after you're done, we'll be going to Mr and Mrs Webber's for dinner." Addison had informed their children. The both of them at the backseat nodded, then as soon as they reached the mall, the two ran off wildly, searching the stores high and low for something they adore, leaving Addison and Derek alone for a private moment together.

"Aren't you afraid?" Addison asked teasingly, sliding her hand playfully into the pocket at the back of Derek's jeans. He hooked his thumb through the belt loop of her jeans and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Afraid of what? They're 9, Addie. They aren't going to get lost in a mall." he said. "They're smart, and besides, they know our cellphone numbers by hard. They'll call if they're lost."

At that, Addison laughed. "I wasn't talking about that, Derek. I know they _are_ smart. I'm talking about Adele's cooking. Once they've tasted Adele's cooking they may never want to eat the food you cook anymore." she said.  
"Aww, my cooking's that bad?" he pouted, placing a hand on his chest in pretence.  
"No." Addison said, leaning against his chest as they walk down the aisle of objects. "But you might never know."

Hours later, as Derek have instructed, all of them had met back at the front counter, a basket of gifts already in their hands. Derek's eyes widened at the amount of materials. "Wow, that's alot of things there." he said, a smile on his face. Kids are still kids, and sometimes, they just simply can't decide  
on just one thing to get. "Are you sure you didn't go over $40?"

Tiffany shook her head. "Nope. We got a kind lady to help us make sure." she said. "She said in total, these cost..."

"$36.72." Terence filled in as his sister turned to him. Addison leaned in and peek into the basket.

"What have you got there?" she asked, curious. Immediately, Tiffany and Terence stood in front of the basket with an innocent grin, blocking their parents' view of the items in it. At that, Derek laughed. "Well, I better not see a huge bag of candies hidden inside." he warned, then handing over two crisp $20 bills, watching as they dash off to the counter.

Back in the car, Addison and Derek had decided to make a stop by the bakery to get a log cake and a bottle of champagne as gifts for Richard and Adele. Through the drive, two hands popped out in front of their eyes, each handing them a horribly wrapped gift.

"Merry Christmas!" Tiffany and Terence cried in unison. At the redlight, the both of them opened the gifts, both staring at it in awe. Derek had received a tie while Addison received a bracelet. Both must be pretty cheap considering how their children had managed to worked it into the budget given to them.

"Oh my god." Addison mumbled, turning to Derek, who was equally surprised at the gesture. They turned back only to find the two children grinning back at them.

"You like it?" Tiffany asked, only to have both her parents nodding profusely. The four of them then pulled into an embrace.

---------------------------------------

**-TENTH YEAR-**

"Alright, Mrs Tellan. One more centimetre and you're ready to push. Everything is going well, your vitals are stable, your baby is well. If you need anything, let Dr. Stevens know." Addison informed, smiling as she handed the charts to the intern.  
"Page me if you need anything." she said, then left the room as her pager eeped.  
She signed the charts handed to her on the way to the nurses' station, then handed it over with a brief smile.

"Dr. Shepherd?" A nurse called out just as she turned, ready to leave. "There's a phonecall for you." she informed. With a frown, Addison took over the receiver and pressed it against her ear. _Who would call me by the nurses' station?_

"Hello?"  
"Dr. Addison Shepherd?"  
"Yes, this is she."  
"Hi. I'm calling about Tiffany and Terence Shepherd..."  
"Uh-huh."  
"We tried to reach you by your cellphone but it wasn't answered so we called the hospital. I hope it isn't a problem."  
"No, no. It's alright. What about my children?" Addison asked, already anxious from the call. She shifted her weight on the spot as  
she bit her lower lip, waiting.  
"Your daughter had collapsed with a fever and your son had a panic attack. Would you like to pick them up now? I mean, I understand  
the demands of your work but I thought I'd still ask. We could keep them--"  
"No, no. Thank you, for calling. One of us will be there to pick them up as soon as possible."

With that, she returned the receiver to the nurse. _Tiffany had a fever. How did we not notice?_ she thought, running a hand through her hair. She had left her cellphone in her locker to minimise interuptions during her work, but thankfully, she was still reachable through the hospital's phonelines. She weighted her options, counting the time to get Tiffany and Terence back home and come back to the hospital again after calling in help, but decided that it would take too long and a one centimeter dialation wouldn't take that long to happen. Turning a corner, she spot the person she was looking for along the hallway.

"Derek!" she cried out, jogging towards him. He turned around at her voice, the smile falling as he saw the worry on her face.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Please tell me you don't have a surgery to scrub in to, or anything to do at all." she blurted out. Derek studied her, frowning as he couldn't see what she was hiding.

"Addie, what is it?"  
"Tiffany. She collapsed in school from a fever. Terence had a panic attack. I'm guessing it was from seeing Tiffany collapse."  
"A fever? How could we not have noticed it?" Derek asked, cursing silently as he paced on the spot.  
"Derek... Derek!"  
"Huh?"  
"I need you to pick them up." she said. "I have a patient who is 9 centimetres dialated and I can't leave. There wouldn't be enough time for me to rush back and please tell me that--"  
"I'll pick them up." Derek said, swallowing.  
"Really?"  
"Yea. I can push my surgery back a few more hours. It isn't a major one. If not, someone can cover for me. Our kids are more important." he said, nodding as a reassurance to his wife. With a sigh of relief, she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you." she whispered into his hair. He rubbed her back comfortingly with a hand, another one going around her waist.  
"It's ok, Addie. It's going to be ok."

---------------------------------------

**-ELEVENTH YEAR-**

"I _cannot_ believe you made me come." Addison grumbled, watching in disblief as both Tiffany and Terence raced up the slope excitedly.  
"They love it. And they love you. You don't want them to be disappointed by not showing up, do you?" Derek teased, pulling her up as they reached the top. She shifted the cap on her head with a grunt, tossing her backpack down onto the grass with a sigh.

"You know, honey. If they turned into Tarzan and Jane, it's all your fault." she pointed out, shaking her head as Tiffany and Terence started unfolding the portable tent. Derek laughed and pulled her in by her waist, planting a kiss on her lips while their children busied themselves.

"They wouldn't." he promised. "They have a mother who is a city babe."  
"Dad!" Tiffany yelled, throwing the tent down in frustration. "I can't fix this!" she whined, pointing to the tend as she turned to her parents, only to find her mother in her father's embrace. "Ew." she stuck out her tongue, then ran to tug Derek away from Addison. When he refuse to budge, she shot Addison her puppy eyes.  
"Mommy. Can I borrow Daddy for a moment puh-lease? So he can fix the tent?" she asked, only causing Addison to laugh.

-----

That night, three of them sat around the fire roasting marshmellows on sticks. Addison came out of the tent with her arms wrapped around herself, a coat around her, approaching the fire before she sat down on the portable stool next to her husband.

"Hey." he greeted her without turning around, eyes on the marshmellows. She leaned in, resting her chin on his shoulder as he tilted his head to the side, leaning against the top of her head. Shifting the stick to another hand, he wrap it around her shoulders, rubbing at the side of her arm. Opposite the fire, their children mimicked their actions secretly, giggling over the cackling of fire. Then when the marshmellow on Derek's stick was done, he held it up in front of his wife as she leaned forward, biting it off the stick. Terence did the same, holding his stick in front of his sister allowing her to bite it off. But unlike Addison, the  
marshmellow fell out of Tiffany's mouth, causing the two to burst into fits of laughter. At that, Derek and Addison looked up curiously at their children, who covered their mouths in attempt to muffle their laughters.

"What's going on?" Addison asked. Terence quickly drew his arms away from his sister's shoulders and drew in a deep breathe, managing to stop the laughter as he steer his eyes away from the marshmellow in the grass.

"Oh nothing. Nothing." he said, trying to sound as innocent as possible. But Derek saw the action, realised what was going on and narrowed his eyes at them over the flames.

"Funny, Terence. Very funny."

---------------------------------------  
**  
-TWELFTH YEAR-**

"Oh, my god. You guys used to live here?" Tiffany asked, her eyes watching the busy city as they stepped out from the airport. Addison and Derek shrugged, dragging their luggages along with them as they headed towards one of the cabs.

"Wow." Terence managed, unable to take his eyes off the tall sky scrappers decorated around the city. "Why did you ever leave this place?" he asked, turning to his parents. Addison turned to Derek uncomfortably at the question, but her husband and countered it perfectly.

"Long, boring story." he said with a smile, sliding an arm around Addison's waist. She slapped it away playfully, causing their children to giggle as they slided into the backseat of the cab along with their mother while Derek took the front passenger seat.

"Royalton Hotel, please." Derek instructed the driver, who nodded once before pulling out of the driveway.

"We're not visiting?" Tiffany asked from the backseat. Derek looked to Addison from the review mirror and exchanged a glance.

"Nope." They said in unison.  
"Why not?" Terence asked, frowning. They knew that their parents grew up in New York, and the rest of their extended family are here, they only never understood the part of their past which landed them up in Seattle. At that, Addison shrugged nonchalently.  
"They don't know that we're here." she explained. "Besides, we want to show you around. We can visit them again in future." she promised.

-----

They had booked a suit. Tiffany and Terence were out at the living room watching videos, flipping through channels and checking things out while Addison and Derek were getting cosy in the bedroom.

"Are you hungry?" Tiffany asked, flipping to the next channel as the commercials came on in the previous one they're watching.  
"Yea." Terence said. "But I don't wanna leave the TV." he whined, snatching over the remote and switched to another channel.  
"We should order room service." Tiffany suggested.  
"Think Dad would kill us?"  
"Probably not. Mom might." she said with a laugh. "We should ask."

With a nod, Terence followed Tiffany towards the bedroom, the door slightly ajar. Not suspecting that something fishy may be going on  
inside, Tiffany pushed open the door without knocking.

"Mom, Dad...Could we--Oh MY GOD!" she exclaimed, shutting the door again with a slam as Derek and Addison dismounted, grabbing their clothes off the floor.  
"Twelve, Derek. They're twelve, and they caught their parents having sex!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice low. Derek turned to her, struggling to put his jeans back on.  
"I'm sorry, Addie. It wasn't like I planned it!" he hissed back, then grabbed at his shirt and slipped it over his head. This time, there was a knock on the door.  
"Uhmm...is the coast clear?" Tiffany asked nervously. Shooting a glare to her husband, Addison straightened her top and patted her hair down before clearing her throat.

"Yea. You can come in now."

---------------------------------------

**-THIRTEENTH YEAR-**

"Grandma, Grandpa!" Tiffany greeted cheerfully, running forward to give Addison's parents a hug, followed by pecks at the side of their faces, moving along to greet the other relatives as the rest of her family entered. The family peeled off their coats and handed them over to the house keeper, who greeted them with a smile before hanging the coats onto the hanger. The Shepherds had came over after watching a fabulous performance of the Nutcracker on Ice.After dinner, they all sat around the living room for small chitchats and catching ups. Derek and Addison are still working in the hospital, their schedules a little tighter now that both children are grown up, occasionally taking a week off to have a family  
vacation, or coming to New York for family gatherings such as this day.

"Ohh, look at you!" Addison's mother exclaimed, brushing a hand down the side of Tiffany's cheeks then turning to her daughter. "You're like a splitting image of your mother!" she said, turning to the rest of the family as they mumbled and nod in response. Tiffany laughed nervously, casting a look to her mother as she forced a smile.

"Heh, thanks. I guess..." she managed, shrugging a little. Her grandmother laughed, patting Tiffany lightly on her knee with a smile.  
"I hope you aren't as bad as your mother was when she was your age."  
"Oh c'mon, mom!" Addison whined. "I wasn't _that_ bad." she defended herself.

"I've got stories, Addie." her mother said, chuckling. That got Terence's interest. He leaned forward, chewing onto a strawberry tart.

"Stories? I want to hear!" he said, ignoring the killer glare his mother sent his way.

-----

As it was getting late, the guests started filing out slowly. Before Addison could leave, her mother stopped her, extending an invitation for them to stay over for the night.

"That's very nice of you, Mother. But our things are at the hotel and we didn't bring clothes to change into." she explained with an apologetic smile. Her mother waved a hand at the comment with a laugh.

"Oh don't be silly, sweetie. You know you can always wear _my_ clothes." she offered, causing Tiffany and Terence to stiffen a laugh. Addison rolled her eyes.  
"Very funny, Mom. Or I can always sleep naked too." she joked, shaking her head. "I'll give you a call, I promise." she assured, leaning forward to give her mother a kiss on her cheek, then proceeding to bid her father farewell.  
And as she stepped out of the house with Derek, her mother gave out a yelp, stopping the both of them as they turned to her in surprise.  
"Mistletoe!" she exclaimed, pointing at the thing hanging above their heads. Addison raised an eyebrow, putting a hand on her hip.

"You want me to kiss my husband in front of my kids?" she asked, and her mother only nodded her head with a grin, her father putting an arm around his wife's shoulder to show agreement. "Seriously." Another nod. Derek laughed, pulling Addison close to him from her waist and ran a hand to the back of her neck, diping down with a kiss on her lips, hard at first, then softened, gently parting her lips for the kiss to deepen. Tiffany and Terence cringed at the sight of it, both turning to their grandparents at the same time.

"Can we stay here?"

Addison pulled away with a laugh, pulling her children out of the house. "No such luck, kids. Now say 'bye'."

---------------------------------------

**-FOURTEENTH YEAR-**

"I know, you're a fannel-wearing, wood-chopping fisherman." Derek mimicked his wife's complain 15 years ago, receiving a slap on the side of his arm as he laughed.

"Did Mom really say that?" Terence asked, walking around the pail to his father as Derek put up the sail, reaching out to help untangle the rope.

"Oh yes, she did." he said, causing Addison to shoot him a glare. "And she's afraid of fishes. At least, to disturb them." he laughed, remembering the font memory of them skinny dipping by the lake.  
Addison rolled her eyes. "I am not afraid of fishes."

"Yes, you are. You shrieked when I brought the trout into the trailer." he pointed out challengingly. Terence and Tiffany were leaning against the top of the cabin, watching with interest as their parents battle it out. Before Addison could say something back, Tiffany interupted.

"Wait, wait. Back up a moment here. You guys lived in a _trailer_?"  
"Whoa, obviously Mom and Dad's lives are more interesting that we've thought." Terence laughed.

"Well obviously Daddy's gone mental." Addison smirked, heading down to the cabin of the boat, causing the twins to tease.  
"Oooo. Mommy's mad." Terence said, wriggling his eyebrows.  
"And Daddy's gonna be in a biiig trouble." Tiffany teased, then slowly backed away from their father.  
"Alright then. No trout for you." he threatened, causing the both to laugh. Then, Addison emerged from the cabin with a tray of four glasses of lemonade.

"Well that sounds vaguely familiar." she pointed out, handing a glass to her husband before making her way to her two children.

-----

Moments later, Derek and Addison were sat facing one side of the boat while their two children on the other side, both fishing at different locations.

"C'mon, give it a pat." Derek instructed, holding the large fish up in front of Addison, his fingers firmed around it.  
"No." Addison insisted, cringing at the sight of it.  
"It's not going to eat you. It's fun. You're love it." Derek encouraged. "See, it's not moving anymore." he pointed out, holding it out to his wife again. Addison swallowed, and hesistantly, she reached out. At the moment where she was almost touch the first, Derek released it and cause the fish to jumped out of his hands, leaving it flip flopping on the deck of the ship as Addison jumped away,  
shrieking.

"You're funny, Derek. SO funny." she yelped, smacking her husband in his arm as he laughed. Reaching out, he pulled her into his embrace even though she resisted it violently.

"Your hands are stained with--"

Their lips met, shutting Addison up even though it took her awhile to melt under his lips, kissing back.  
Behind them, their children who had caught the commotion, buried their faces in their hands with a groan.

"Oh, gross."

---------------------------------------  
**  
-FIFTEEN YEAR-**

"No, Terence. This is final. You are NOT going to the party." Addison said firmly, pointing a warning finger to her son.  
"I don't get why I can't go, Mom! Everyone else's moms let them go!" Terence argued, already losing his temper. Addison crossed her arms in front of her chest. Then with a hateful glare to his mother, Terence spun around and stomped into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"I hate you!" he yelled. "...BITCH!"

Addison stopped in her tracks at that. The family has their own quarrels, not every day of the year has been perfect. Quarrels that are minor, quarrels sometimes huge but it had never gotten to the point of name calling. She bit her lower lip at the word her son just threw at her. Derek and Tiffany who had been standing by gasped in shock.

"Terence!" Derek called out. "You apologise to your mother NOW!" he ordered.  
"She's not my mother!" Terence yelled out.

At that, tears sprang to Addison's eyes as she started down the steps. Derek knew he had to talk sense into his son, but at the same time, he knew how that it must have made Addison feel. Tiffany looked after her mother and swallowed, turning to her Dad with a nod.

"Go after Mom, I'll deal with Terry."

-----

"Terence. It's me, Tiff." she said, knocking on the door lightly.  
"Go away."  
"C'mon. You know you didn't mean that." she said, now pushing open the door slightly.  
"Go away, Tiffany." Terence said again, refusing to look at his sister as she stepped in, closing the door behind her.  
"You hurt her." Tiffany said, standing by the door. But Terence shook his head stubbornly, burying his head under the pillow.  
"I don't care."  
"You know you do. You never wanted to hurt Mom, you said it yourself." she said, now sitting down on the edge of his bed. He toss the pillow off his head and glared at his sister.  
"Oh yea? Then maybe I changed my mind."  
At that, Tiffany frowned. "What the hell is wrong with you, Terence!"  
He turned his head away from her, refusing to acknowledge the question. Tiffany sighed, pushing herself off the bed.  
"Fine. Be like that." she said, then stomped out of her brother's room.

-----

"Mom?"  
Addison felt her heart skip a beat. She ignored it, continue to scrub at the dishes by the sink. Dinner that night has been an awkward silence even though the four of them had sat by the table. Although Derek had ran after her to comfort her, she still didn't want to talk to her son. Terence sighed, taking an awkward step into the kitchen. Addison laid the wet dishes into the dishwasher, trying to ignore his presence. She settled all the dishes into it, then dried her hands, turning around to find her son still standing there.

"So what, I'm your mother now?" she snapped, eyeing him.  
"I'm sorry." Terence mumbled. She drew in a deep breathe at the apology.  
"I'm sorry." he said, louder this time. "I...I shouldn't have said..." his words trailed off, looking up as Addison now pulled over the fridge, taking out a carton of juice from it.

"I...I just don't get why you don't let me go to the party!"  
"Because, Terence. They bring booze there. They party, they dance, they may do drugs." she explained, and when her son started to argue, she put up a hand, stopping him before she continued. "And I know you are going to tell me that you wouldn't do this and you wouldn't do that, and that you are smart. I know you wouldn't, but sometimes, things happen. And I'm not going to risk having you get  
caught in a crossfire of anything."

Terence lowered his head, knowing that his mother is right. "But mom, it's a cool party. And everyone's going..."  
"You will get to go when you're old enough to protect yourself."  
He sighed, then making his way towards his mother. Addison blinked in surprise as Terence wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Mom. About..before." he said, then pulled away nervously. "Will you...forgive me?"  
Addison smiled, running a hand through her son's brown hair. "Yea."

---------------------------------------  
**  
-SIXTEENTH YEAR-**

Their work has picked up ever since their children had turned 13, old enough to care for themselves when their parents are not at home, taking turns to do the laundry, making meals and whatnots. Derek Shepherd is now setting up a private practice of his own while Addison Shepherd had handed the Head of Neonatal over to Isobel Stevens, setting up a clinic specially for Neonatal. Cristina is now  
the Head of Attendings, George the Head of Cardiology department. Meredith had moved back to Boston to accept a better position while Alex had shifted to New York working in Plastics under Mark Sloan. Being the boss of things sure pays off. This time, Addison and Derek had taken the weekend off, packed gloves and skates and drove down to the artificial ice skating rink in Seattle.

"C'mon, Derek!" Addison yelled, beckoning her husband over with a wave of her arm. It was still early on the Saturday morning, there wasn't many around. Tiffany had taken up ballet from elementary school and moved on to iceskating and cheerleading in middle and highschool while Terence had picked up iceskating on his own. Addison had always been a skater since young but as for Derek, he  
didn't have such a great sense of balance. He shook his head stubbornly, crossing his legs over another as he leaned back against the bench he was on.

"Daaaad!" Terence yelled across the rink, purposely trying to embarass his father into putting on skates and joining them in the rink. But Derek pulled out a stack of papers, opening it and pretended to ignore them. With a shake of her head, Addison skated out of the rink and snatched away his papers, pulling him up and shoving the pair of his skates into his hands.

"It'll be fun." she grinned, and before he could protest, she laid a finger on his lips and went on. "You made me touch the trout."

-----

Derek's grip on Addison's gloved hands were tight as he struggled to stay balanced, moving one foot forward at a time. Tiffany whirled pass him, taunting him with her skills as she made a spin in midair, landing perfectly before gliding away. Then, it was Terence.

"Not funny." Derek grumbled, causing his son to pout. A pout very much like Addison's.  
"Aww, c'mon Dad. If I picked this up by myself, you can to. Just..let go." he said, grinning as Tiffany interupted from behind Addison and Derek, forcing their hands apart. Tiffany grabbed her father's hand and skated away, increasing speed as she did so while  
Terence stood guard in front of his mother, refusing to let her go after Derek.

"Addie..." Derek started, trying more on keeping his balance than to actually skate. "Addie!" he called out, turning around for a split second to see his wife waving with a smirk on her face. "Crap."

---------------------------------------

**-SEVENTEENTH YEAR-**

Addison padded across the corridor, heading towards her daughter's room with a pile of folded laundry in her hands. Her head was lowered, mind wandering on the finances in her clinic. It was a Saturday afternoon and her clinic was only opened for half a day. She pushed open the door silently and stepped in, looking up only to find the sight that send a series of screams through the house.  
Derek rushed out of his room at the sound of his wife's and daughter's screams, rushing to find Addison slamming the door shut with the pile of folded laundry now on the floor.

"What happened?" he asked, worried. Anxiously, he pushed open the door to his daughter's bedroom and caught her straigtening her blouse, patting her red hair down. But that wasn't all. There was someone else.

"Dad!" Tiffany exclaimed, standing in front of her boyfriend as though it would help hide him from her parents' view. From behind Derek, Addison emerged.

"Mom!" she cried, awkward to find both her parents now staring from her to her boyfriend. "Uhmm..this is, Kenneth." she introduced, shrugging a little. Derek's blue eyes pierced into the boy's as he swallowed uncomfortably. Slowly, he bend down and picked up his bag, slinging over his shoulders.

"Uhmm. Hi. I'm gonna...go...now." he said, then slided out from behind Tiffany. "I'll call you." he mouthed, then dashed out of her room, down the stairs and found his way out. By the door, Derek folded his arms and stared authoritatively in front of his daughter. From behind him and his wife, Terence appeared, ruffling a hand through his brown hair.

"I thought I just saw Ke-- Oh." he said, catching himself as the three of his family members turned to him.

"You knew about this?" Addison asked, still disbelieved. Not by the fact that her daughter was kissing a guy neither her nor Derek knew about, but the fact that her daughter had a boyfriend and told none of them. "You had a boyfriend and you didn't tell us about it?" she questioned, turning to her daughter once again. Slowly, Terence sneaked away, letting his sister deal with it alone.

"Who the hell is that boy?" Derek demanded again. This time, Addison shifted, wedging herself between her daughter and her husband, placing a hand comfortingly on Derek's arm.

"Let me deal with this, alright?" she said softly, looking insistantly into his eyes. Finally, he softened and nodded, then made his way out of the room as Addison closed the door.

"How long?" she asked, settling down next to Tiffany.  
"Mom!"  
"No, really. I want to know. How long? Is he good to you? I want to know everything." she said. Tiffany raised an eyebrow at her mother, but finally, gave in and started telling her everything. Finally, Addison nodded, as though in approval of their relationship.

"Why didn't you come to me? Or Dad?" she couldn't help but ask. Tiffany bit the bottom of her lip and looked up nervously.  
"Well... it isn't a kind of thing you tell your parents, you know. Like I don't come running home one day and exclaiming that I have a boyfriend..."

Addison laughed, planting a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "I know."

---------------------------------------  
**  
-EIGHTEENTH YEAR-**

"It's been ages!" Addison's mother, Lindsey, exclaimed, pulling her daughter and granddaughter into a tight embrace. Pulling apart, her eyes shifted from one to another, a smile spread across her face. "You two are a splitting image." she commented, then led them into the room after Derek and Terence.

"You said that five years ago, mother." Addison reminded her, causing Lindsey to turn around with her infamous eyebrow-raise, one that Addison had also picked up.  
"I'm glad you know it's been 5 years. You should visit more often." she said, settling down on the couch opposite them, passing the plate of cookies subconsciously to Derek. "How's everything at the clinic? Did you manage to convince the Stevens girl to take over after you retire?"

Addison glared at her mother as Derek turned to her in surprise. "You're retiring? And you're asking Izzie to take over?" She turned to her husband briefly, then back to her mother, addressing the both of them non-verbally.

"No. I'm not retiring--yet. And yes, I have been thinking of asking Izzie to take over the clinic after she passes her position over to someone else. She _is_ the best I've seen in years. And I trust her." she said, grabbing a cookie off the plate. Before either of them can respond, the doorbell rung.

"I'll get it." Addison's father announced, pushing himself off the couch and towards the door.

When the door swung open, Derek stood up in surprised. "Mom? Dad? What are you two doing here!"

"Surprise!" the both of them exclaimed, pulling their son into an embrace.  
"Surprise, indeed." Derek laughed.

-----

"So, the both of you moving out after graduating from High School?" Brian, Derek's father asked casually, his wife looking to him as she picked up the cup of tea to take a sip.

Terence nodded. "Yea, hopefully we'll both get into the same university." he said, causing her sister to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Seriously? Same university? Do you want to dorm in with me too?" she asked sarcastically.  
"Oh, that's a brilliant idea, Tiff!" Terence exclaimed, mimicking his sister's sarcasm. "No, really." he rolled his eyes.

"What are the both of you planning on majoring?" Audrey, Derek's mother asked, causing all eyes to turn to the both of them. Derek and Addison, however, exchanged a casual glance with each other. Obviously their parents had wished for their grandchilfren to follow their parents' footsteps to become world-renown surgeons or at least, take up the path to a medical career. But Derek and Addison  
thought otherwise. They wanted their children to pursue whatever interests them, as long as they're happy with it.

Tiffany and Terence looked to each other, swallowing at the silent confrontation.

"Dance." Tiffany managed, her eyes shifting to Terence to indicate that it was all she was saying.  
"Uhm... Drama." Terence mumbled, his eyes shifted to the ground, afraid of objections. But there was only silence.

"That's...great!" Addison exclaimed, covering up the awkwardness that had built up in the living room. Clearly, their choices had been unexpected but Addison and Derek never thought so. Tiffany had always been interested in dance while Terence, in the arts of acting.

After Addison's exclamation, the silence broke, turning into a series of encouraging words and supportive responses for the two 18-year olds.

---------------------------------------

_Tiffany Audrey Shepherd is now a World famous dancer who had formed her own dance troupe that performs all around the world. Terence Caleb Shepherd is now a famous Hollywood actor, his talent sending him from just a character in comedy series to a serious actor on the big screen. Derek and Addison Shepherd have retired from their practices and are travelling around the world together.  
The neonatal clinic Addison had founded is now officially handed over to Isobel Stevens._


End file.
